Creating a dynamic resume and cover letter can set you on the right path to acquiring your dream job. Learn how to create documents that will make you stand out to potential employers.
Resume
Your resume is a concise summary of your qualifications tailored to the position you are seeking. It serves as a professional marketing tool that highlights what you have to offer and shapes a prospective employer’s first impression. Because employers typically spend only 2.5 to 10 seconds reviewing a resume, it must quickly capture attention and clearly communicate your value. In one page, your resume should effectively showcase your education, training, leadership, and work experience as they relate to the opportunity.
Brainstorm
Brainstorm a list of experiences and skills that you might want to include in a resume. Consider your academic background, paid and volunteer work or internships, research projects, awards, and special skills. Once you have compiled your list, you can start organizing this information to the position or industry that you are targeting.
Gathering Career Information
After you have completed your personal inventory and have developed your career goals, you will then want to research these career areas and those employers that are active in them. For each potential position you need to know the qualifications, duties, and skills required for the job, and any special talents or personal characteristics sought by the employer.
Your name, address, telephone number, and email address are centered at the top of the page or placed to one side. Do not use headings such as “name,” “telephone,” or “resume.” This information is self-evident, and the headings are unnecessary.
Career Objective
- If you state a career objective, it should be brief, concise and address the current job only, not future career plans. This category should be used only when your job objective is clear or definite.
Education
- Your educational history should be placed near or at the top of the page if it is your most important qualification. Under this heading include the names of schools, degrees, major, minor or concentration and dates received or expected graduation.
Experience
- These areas can be titled “Work Experience,” or “Professional Experience,” “Volunteer Experience,” Internship Experience” or “Related Experience.” In describing your work experience, use action words which will show your strengths and skills.
Professional Activities and Honors/Awards
- This category can include club and professional memberships, awards, honors, volunteer experience, and community service.
Skills and Accomplishments
- Skills included should be hard skills, technical experience, or knowledge of another language. Academic or work accomplishments can be included.
There is no single prescribed resume format but the two basic styles of resumes are chronological and functional. Some resumes use features of both and are called combination resumes.
Chronological Resume
- This is the most widely used and familiar format. The experience section is listed in chronological order, starting with your most recent experience. It is most effective when the job target is in line with your experience and academic background.
- If your most relevant experience for a particular career field was not your most recent, it can be featured by creating two “experience” sections. These can be called “Related Experience” and “Other Work Experience.” By separating the information into two categories, you can maintain a chronological format while emphasizing your most pertinent skills.
Functional Resume
- The functional resume highlights skills and accomplishments and de-emphasizes specific job titles, organizations, and dates of employment. Functional resumes are appropriate if you have held a number of unrelated jobs, the position that you are seeking is outside the academic field, or there are significant gaps in your work history.
General Resume Guidelines
- Font: Use an easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Cambria, or Garamond.
- Size: Stay between 10 pt. and 12 pt. Your name can be larger than 12 pt.
- Margins : 0.5-1” margins all around
- Must be well-organized, neat, and concise.
- Proofread to make sure grammar, punctuation, and spelling are flawless.
- Use “bulleted” statements rather than complete sentences where appropriate.
- Use quantities, amounts, dollar values where they enhance the description of what you did.
- Do not use “I”.
- Do not include hobbies, avocational, or social interests.
- Put the strongest statements or qualifications at the top
- Spelling Mistakes – Be sure that there are no spelling errors, poor word choice, or misuse of language.
- Repetitive Words – Do not use the same action verb repeatedly to describe your work experience. List of action verbs.
- Leaving Out Dates – It might seem like you are trying to hide certain information.
- Just having One Version – Tailor your resume for each job for which you are applying.
- No Cover Letter – A cover letter should be sent out with every resume.
- Unprofessional Email Address – Use a professional address, such as your school email or an email that only includes your first and last name.
- Cluttered Information – Filter out information that might seem irrelevant to the position.
- Including Personal Information – Personal information, like age, gender, and headshot, should not be included on your resume (unless you are a performing arts student).
- Using Abbreviations or Contractions – Be sure to omit abbreviations or contractions in your words or sentences.
Coming Soon
Cover Letters
An effective cover letter is just as important as an effective resume. The cover letter accompanies the resume – it is the piece of paper that the prospective employer sees first. You should write a cover letter even if the employer/recruiter does not require one.
The cover letter is an opportunity to:
- Direct the resume to a specific person.
- Describe briefly what you know about the job and employer.
- Provide key qualifications that relate to the specific position for which you are applying.
Part 1: “Make the Match” – A Brief Introduction Statement
If you have been referred by someone known to the company (an employee, alumnus, a professor, etc.), use that person’s name in your opening paragraph, and indicate why the contact referred you to that particular company or position opening. If you do not have a personal referral, the introduction should include why you are writing, much like an objective or profile summary on a resume.
Part 2: “Make the Case” – Why Should They Hire You?
This section of the cover letter is where you build an argument for why you should be hired by highlighting your key strengths and skills. Do not repeat the content of your resume, but point to the skills and experience in your resume that relate to the position. You can provide examples and details that support your qualifications. If you are able to make a compelling case for your candidacy in this section, the employer will look at your resume for confirmation of your claims.
Part 3: “Make the Close” – Finish Strong
The last section “closes” the letter by recapping what you have to offer and how you are a fit for the position. It suggest that the reader look at your resume, give it positive consideration, and schedule you for an interview. Also, state what your own next action will be.